Redskins clip Lady Knights, 1-0

Unfortunately for the Point Pleasant High School girls soccer squad, on a clear and cool Thursday night, the Lady Redskins did enough damage with just one shot.

That’s because Hurricane’s Ann Marie Ramsey recorded the game’s only goal — as the Redskins escaped with a 1-0 win at Ohio Valley Bank Track & Field in Point Pleasant.

The loss left the Lady Knights at 0-2-0, as they opened the season a week ago with a 3-1 setback at South Harrison.

Hurricane, thanks to Ramsey’s marker with 21 minutes and 17 seconds remaining in the match, raised its undefeated record to 3-0-0.

In truth, the Redskins dominated possession, playing the large majority of the contest in Point Pleasant’s offensive half and even third.

They took 22 total shots, including 13 on goal, but Cook handled the pressure by making nine saves — many of which were nifty by diving and knocking the ball away or going to her knees to get the stop.

However, Hurricane hit the single shot that Cook couldn’t quite reach — and it proved to be the only goal.

With a scoreless bout entering the second half of the second half, Point Pleasant played a ball in, but a poor throw-in led to a failed defensive clear.

Ramsey raced in and stole the ball, and blasted a high-arching shot from the 15-yard line beyond the outstretched reach of Cook into the upper-right 90.

“We just didn’t get the ball out quick enough there. We got caught with the ball at our feet about 30 yards from the goal. We can’t get caught in that situation and we can’t turn the ball over that close to our goal without giving up good opportunities for them,” said the coach. “Just something we have to clean up and work on.”

The Lady Knights need to also improve their offensive attack, as they had just one shot on goal —an attempt by Morgan Miller with 25:45 to play in the opening half.

Hurricane held a 4-0 advantage in corner kicks, and Redskin goalkeeper Lauren Adams enjoyed an easy night in net with no saves.

It was quite the opposite for Cook, who performed well despite being under constant pressure.

“Monica Cook came up with a lot of big saves to keep us in the game. All the girls worked hard, and if they keep working hard like that, we’ll be in games like this to the very end,” said Errett. “We’ll be tough to beat if we have that type of discipline and energy.”

Speaking of “discipline and energy”, Errett praised the Redskins while also expressing enthusiasm about his young Lady Knights going toe-to-toe with the Red and White.

“Hurricane is always a good team. They’re always high-energy and disciplined. Energy-wise, I thought it was good to see our girls come out and match that, but they are always tough to break down. I thought we played well and handled the pressure well. We didn’t give up a lot of good chances for them, but they still capitalized on one opportunity they got from us,” he said.

The Lady Knights will return home on Saturday, when they play Poca at 11 a.m.